I have a dev module with a nice mass of chip doc but little on the module itself.I'm pretty sure though that the SPI connect is basic and my start plan is to find out what I have to feed the sucker to get it initialized and playing MP3 files from SD through SPI.

Before I go bang my head on this wall, I'm wondering if anyone else has?It's probably simple once you know a few things that are buried in the docs. I have plenty of those from VSLI Solutions, they make the chip not the modules.

I also want to get MIDI playback going. It should be a much lighter load, the wavetable is already in the chip.

Retroplayer

Is it this module that you have: http://www.lctech-inc.com/Hardware/Detail.aspx?id=2f34bdb6-0a1d-4cf4-846f-ca010614064e

If so, I also have one, but haven't messed with it yet. My plan was to follow the development board schematics from VLSI and make it a standalone MP3 player since the VS1053 can run its own code. I wanted to have a module that would play MP3s and also serve files to the Arduino through a serial interface.

http://www.vlsi.fi/en/support/evaluationboards/vs10xxprotoboard.html

On VLSI's site they have several apps and libraries to put together a program like this in VSIDE. I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Yes, that exact same module. I have a bunch of others that have so far I've done simple-easies but this one is going to take some real hacking. Next on the list will be the bluetooth.

Okay, I have those docs and example code for the 1053 chip itself to do what I want and a pile of everything else I don't. It's not in ready to run this module condition but it's a start, something to pull initialization and feeding information specifics from. Loads of detail.

From the looks there's very few registers to set up just to play MP3's fed through SPI. I think I will need to print a block diagram and header file just to keep notes on. If I can get a concept of how it should work then I can make sense of what the docs are saying, right now I'm still trying to relate pieces of which most are not relevant to my immediate goals.

I am hoping to save duplicated effort and headaches. BTW I saw a Lefty comment in the Sparkfun page with the bare chip. Wazzatchoo?

The ManiacBug page there looks to be about MIDI which is fine, I want to do that right after MP3.

When I got the LC Tech SD module (1st time was through DX) I looked at SD libraries and code.Just using the SPI library and the SD library I was able to test a step at a time and hurrah, it worked when people with much more expensive shields were having problems. In less than hour after I worked up the courage to connect 5V to it I was able to prove file read and write. The hard part was identifying the steps I needed.

I need to do the same here but hey there's a LOT more to dig through to find the steps I need but I'm sure they're there and I can guess that LC has provided a simple path to the chip.

I don't know if you've bought direct from LC Tech, to get a price you have to ask. I buy different modules and what I pay may be different but I think not a lot different on most things. My VS1053 dev module was less than $10 in a larger order. I was quoted less than $30 for this DIY AVR MP3 developer suite:

The suite is a MP3 DIY suite, can directly play the MP3 files on the SD card; at the same time also can play the MP3 files on the U disk. (Note: U disk module need to purchase another), provide all materials, including schematic diagram, source program, convenient for customers build up their favorite MP3 system faster.

I see a VS1003 board cabled to a main board with LCD and bezel, and the end of some size SD card which I fear is a frikkin-mini-SD. Sense tells me there's an AVR chip hiding under the LCD but which one?